What Is L-tyrosine?

One of the more recent alternative treatment trends is the use of amino acid supplementation. Although amino acids are crucial for the making of proteins, some of them, such as L-tyrosine, can also be made into other biological compounds. As a result, supplementing one's diet with L-tyrosine can lead to an increase in the other things that it can be used to make.

Identification

L-tyrosine is an amino acid, which means that it is used to make proteins. L-tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid, so it's not required in the diet because the body can make it from other things. However, just because an amino acid is a non-essential amino acid doesn't mean it's not necessary for the body, because all of the amino acids are needed to make the proteins necessary for life.

Neurotransmitters

L-tyrosine is also important for making neurotransmitters, which are small chemicals that nerves use to communicate with each other. L-tyrosine is used to make many different neurotransmitters, including dopamine, norepeinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline).

L-Tyrosine and Depression

There has been some research that indicates L-tyrosine may be able to help treat depression. Because L-tyrosine is used to make norepinephrine, it's thought that supplementation of L-tyrosine could raise norepinephrine levels. Because medications that raise norepinephrine levels are often used to treat depression, it's theorized that L-tyrosine could have a similar effect. But the evidence for this has been mixed at best.

L-Tyrosine and Alzheimer's

Because L-tyrosine is also able to be made into dopamine, it has been investigated as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's is a decrease in dopamine levels; many medications are used to try to increase these levels. This treatment has been found to increase levels of dopamine but doesn't always result in clinical improvement.

Side Effects

No long-term side effects have been identified for L-tyrosine, although heavy use should be performed under the care of a doctor. In addition, to have its effects on neurotransmitters, L-tyrosine also requires adequate copper, vitamin B6 and folic acid levels.